Engaging faculty in SEM

February 25, 2021
  • Enrollment Management
  • SEM Leadership
  • SEM Research

Many researchers have written about strategic enrollment management in the institutional academic context, emphasizing the importance of faculty and staff partnerships in meeting enrollment goals. In a new study, researchers Clayton Smith and Lisa Harris interviewed faculty members and chief enrollment managers at 19 postsecondary institutions about the most effective ways for faculty to be involved in SEM.  Their research, published in the latest SEMQ, identified five primary roles of faculty in SEM:

  • Provide quality instruction

  • Serve as a consultative partner with SEM administration

  • Support marketing and student recruitment 

  • Support student recruitment and success

  • Share higher education trends

Smith and Harris also point out that faculty are key in implementing “SEM strategies in such areas such as academic advising, academic infrastructure, academic program reviews, faculty development, individual student interventions, institutional effectiveness, new student orientation, student engagement, student recruitment, and student retention.” They add, “Faculty are also key to the development of an institutional culture of collaboration and student success.”

The article also discusses limitations as well as implications and recommendations for practice. 

Other articles in this issue include: 

SEM As a Connector:  Building Relationships in a New Normal 

By Stanley E. Henderson and Kevin Pollock

Using Process Mapping and the “Communication Marathon” to Increase Faculty Involvement in Graduate Student Recruitment Efforts 

By Heidi Puckett

Finding the Fit: Gender, College Choice, and Consumer Behavior in University Enrollment

By Jessica Syed and Ane Turner Johnson

SEM Quarterly provides knowledge and insight into the ongoing evolution of strategic enrollment management (SEM) by bridging the gap between theory and practice. Articles by thought leaders and practitioners address the emerging dynamics of SEM, including: executive-level leadership, leading strategies, internationalization, research, academic orientation, and current trends.

For more information, or to submit a manuscript, please contact the Editor-in-Chief or the Managing Editor.

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